Monday November 19, 2018

Case of the Week

The Gas Guzzler's Deduction, Part 3

Case:

Facts: Brandon Bigtop loves his truck, which he affectionately named "the Beast." It was a gift for Brandon's eighteenth birthday. It is
painted bright red and is two tons of metal, muscle and noise. Indeed, many neighbors would grumble as Brandon drove by because the rumbling engine could be
heard three blocks away. As you can imagine, 18-year-old Brandon was in truck heaven.

Brandon is now 20 years older and a university professor, but he never could part with his beloved truck. So, the Beast now sits quietly in the driveway
collecting dust and serving as merely an "eye sore" according to his wife. Every once in a while, Brandon will take the truck out for a spin but its low gas
mileage makes it a costly joy ride. Plus, Brandon still receives glares from neighbors as he passes through the neighborhood, something he does not relish
anymore.

After much deliberation, Brandon decides to give his truck to a local charity. It is time to part ways with his old childhood companion. Before deciding to
contribute the truck to charity, Brandon checked with his tax advisor regarding the tax benefits of his gift and how he should structure the gift. To his
surprise, Brandon's tax advisor suggested contributing the truck to Brandon's existing $100,000 charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT). While there was no
capital gain bypass benefit, there still should be a charitable income tax deduction and increased CRUT income.

Question:

Question: Can a truck or other tangible personal property be contributed to a CRUT? What rules, if any, should Brandon be aware of?

Solution:

Solution: Tangible personal property (TPP) may be transferred to a CRUT. However, there are two rules that require close attention. First,
there is no charitable deduction for a future interest in tangible personal property. The deduction applies only after all "intervening interests" have
expired. See Sec. 170(a)(3).

Thus, there is no charitable deduction for Brandon when he initially transfers his truck into a CRUT. Instead, the charitable deduction is delayed until the
year when the truck is actually sold by the CRUT. At that time, the "intervening interest" in the TPP has expired and a charitable deduction is allowable.
This means that Brandon's contribution may not qualify for a charitable deduction in the current tax year unless the CRUT can sell the truck by December 31.

The second rule relates to cost basis deductions for gifts of tangible personal property for an unrelated use. However, gifts of vehicles usually produce a
charitable deduction equal to the fair market value of the vehicle, because vehicles usually are worth less than the original purchase price. Thus, the
traditional reduction rules for gifts of tangible personal property generally do not apply to gifts of vehicles since the cost basis is greater than the
fair market value of the vehicle. As a result of the vehicle deduction rules, the charitable deduction is limited to the gross proceeds of the sale
multiplied by the unitrust remainder factor.

Brandon likes the idea of receiving a greater income from his CRUT. He also likes the charitable deduction, even though it is modest. Consequently, Brandon
decides to contribute his truck to the CRUT. In the end, Brandon's dearly departed truck provided nice tax savings, an eventual charitable gift and great
memories to last a lifetime.